Estes Valley fire board may meet with residents on fire awareness

By Juley Harvey Trail-Gazette

Posted:
01/15/2013 04:47:51 PM MST

Members of the board of the Estes Valley Fire Protection District discuss plans at their last meeting. From left are: Mark Igel, Frank Theis, board president Sue Doylen, Doug Klink and fire chief Scott Dorman.
(
Juley Harvey
)

Estes Valley residents are beginning to glimpse that wildland fires are a fact of life and are not "going away." Estes Valley Fire Protection District (EFVPD) board members considered how to include the community in the best preparation for these future disasters at their bi-monthly meeting last week. Spurred on by a presentation from wildland-urban interface coordinator Sue Pinkham, they discussed visiting with all the homeowners' associations (HOAs) in the area, to get the word out, for residents to be even more fire-aware and to also acquaint the community with emergency personnel, in a less stressful atmosphere.

Whatever the district does, Doylen said, "This is not going away. It's something we are living with. There are a lot of motivated folks. Folks are very concerned, more receptive than they have been."

Board member Doug Klink asked whether that means residents are more willing to cut down trees too close to their residences than they have been in the past. Pinkham said that's a good question, but reaching a happy medium, where residents are willing to do a little more on their property to be protected, is a great goal. Klink questioned whether more people are willing to take the issue of wildland fires seriously, or are just living in a sea of denial.

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Pinkham said those who are fire-aware now are opening the door and being more receptive to suggestions she offers in her free home assessments. Most people in the High Drive area are very receptive to suggestions on how to be fire-safe, she said. They had the experience of not only seeing the smoke from the recent Fern Lake Fire (and being on pre-evacuation) and also suffering the losses of the Woodland Heights Fire (with its attendant evacuation). What residents are willing to do to make their homes safer after she leaves their property may be another story, however, she added.

Board member Mark Igel said the fire district provides Pinkham's services to residents for free, and not as an enforcement tool. She makes suggestions to homeowners they can use to care for themselves, and the fire district is offering a community service to "help them help themselves. It's an opportunity for the community to take us up on," Igel said.

Pinkham emphasized she just makes suggestions, including for materials that won't burn (stucco). After she visited residents in the Little Valley area, she said, they created a fuel break area in Pierson Park, where residents may gather safely in the one-way-in-and-out area. It's like a safety zone, in case residents or firefighters become trapped in the area by fire. While Klink commended the Little Valley residents for focusing on clearing out undergrowth and small trees, he said there are still many large trees in the area to worry about. Pinkham said it's all right to have large trees, especially ponderosas, which generally do not build up a large undergrowth area.

Pinkham said she did 55 site visits last year, over 29 the year before. Fire definitely was on residents' radar. They wanted guidelines; she walked 164 acres and worked with 5 HOAs. She wants to do more to increase community awareness and public education.

From her meetings with various groups have come a thank-you note and donation from The Uplands and a new probationary firefighter, from Cedar Ridge. She calls her meetings nice opportunities to talk with community members. Windcliff remains the district's "poster child FireWise community," and Uplands is "getting there," she said.

Her booth at the Farmers Market is one of the best places to reach people, she added. In 14 sessions last year, she talked to 392 people, 20 of whom signed up for site visits.

She attends the monthly Coffee Chat With the Mayor on a regular basis, to talk about slash collections, defensible space, visible house numbers and infant car seat inspections, as well as to answer questions.

"It's a positive, upbeat way to communicate with concerned citizens," Pinkham said.

Pinkham is a part-time, seasonal employee of the fire district and she will function as the wildland-urban interface coordinator again this year, under the direction of new fire marshal Marc Robinson, with an evaluation of the position at the end of the year. When she began working, it was under grant funds. As they dried up, the district took over and now pays 100-percent of her salary. Board members agreed it is a "good expenditure and a good deal."

Board member Frank Theis said the awareness level is much higher in the community now and encouraged Pinkham to continue contacting the HOAs.

"It's a good year to spread the word," he said, "and let people know we are out there to help."

Additionally, residents may sign up to receive the fire district's newsletter at the website at estesvalleyfire.org or call the fire station non-emergency number for more information at 970-577-0900.

Board members also discussed the possibility of holding "Chief Chats," regular meetings where citizens can discuss items informally with the fire chief and board members, such as at the mayor's coffee chats, but did not make any decision.

The next fire district board meeting is Wednesday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. at the Dannels fire station. The public is invited to attend.